The classroom consists of 20 English Language Learners with different levels of English acquisition. Some of them speak excellent English and have decent reading and writing skills. Each student's reading and writing skills are different, but they are strong enough to be successful in a college prep Language Arts class. The students will work together in collaborative groups to help each other work on the project as a team. All of the students are English Language Learners and there are no Special Education or gifted students in the class. The students are higher level ELL students that require a few modifications to the lesson plans. The first modification would be the grouping of students into groups based on their ability levels and how much English they can read and write. This allows the stronger students to work together and help the weaker students with anything that they might need help with. The second modification would be the rubrics that are being used to assess the students through all aspects of the project. Students have access to the rubrics at all times and I have explained them in detail so the students will understand exactly how they are being assessed. They will be graded based entirely on those rubrics. Students will be given guided reading note sheets for all PowerPoint presentations to help them understand and be able to read the notes from the lesson.
ELL Accommodations on the PBL:
Break assignments into segments of shorter tasks
Use concrete examples of concepts before teaching the lesson
Relate information to the student's prior knowledge and interests
Reduce the number of concepts presented at one time
Provide an overview of the lesson before beginning
Monitor the student's comprehension of language used during instruction
Schedule frequent, short conferences with each collaborative group to check for comprehension
Provide consistent review of the previous lesson before introducing new information
Allow the groups to obtain and report information utilizing: cassette recorders, dictation, computers, and interviews.
Highlight important concepts to be learned in text material
Monitor the rate at which material is presented
Give additional presentations by varying the methods using repetition, simpler explanations, more examples, and modeling
Require verbal responses to indicate comprehension
Provide clear, concise directions
Assign tasks at an appropriate reading level
The students' background knowledge using computers and research skills is a concern. The lessons are designed to teach the students the necessary research skills to help them complete the PBL project. Students will also need a short introduction to the computers and technology available to them. The majority of the ELL students do not have access to technology or the internet at home. The majority of the project will have to be completed at school in the computer labs or in the media center. Most of the students know how to use the computers, but might need some light training on the programs we will use.
Different Learning Styles in the Classroom:
The majority of the ELL students in this class are visual and kinesthetic learners. Many of the students have a difficulty understanding spoken English so it would be difficult for them to understand hearing the directions without them being repeated frequently. The students' visual learning needs will be bet through the rubrics, PowerPoints, and note sheets that will be distributed to the students so they can see what it is expected of them and how they can master the material. Students will then be able to work together and research in groups to develop an answer to their PBL problem. The kinesthetic learning needs to will be met during the research process. Students will research to create their responses to the PBL problem. Once they have developed their response they will use hands on technology to create a way to present their findings and their response to the PBL problem. The multimedia tools will help them to design a method to present their solution and findings to their PBL problem.
Different Intelligences in the Classroom:
The intelligences that are present in the ELL classroom are spatial, bodily, logical, and interpersonal intelligences. This PBL unit was designed for students in the classroom that possess each of these intelligences according to Gardner. The PBL unit was specifically designed to meet the learning needs of these learning intelligences. Each lesson in the PBL incorporates activities that requires the students to use their spatial, bodily, logical, and interpersonal intelligences. The presentation of the PBL solution to the problem will cover all of these intelligences through the creation of presentation using multimedia technology.
Diversity in the Classroom
ELL Classroom
The classroom consists of 20 English Language Learners with different levels of English acquisition. Some of them speak excellent English and have decent reading and writing skills. Each student's reading and writing skills are different, but they are strong enough to be successful in a college prep Language Arts class. The students will work together in collaborative groups to help each other work on the project as a team. All of the students are English Language Learners and there are no Special Education or gifted students in the class. The students are higher level ELL students that require a few modifications to the lesson plans. The first modification would be the grouping of students into groups based on their ability levels and how much English they can read and write. This allows the stronger students to work together and help the weaker students with anything that they might need help with. The second modification would be the rubrics that are being used to assess the students through all aspects of the project. Students have access to the rubrics at all times and I have explained them in detail so the students will understand exactly how they are being assessed. They will be graded based entirely on those rubrics. Students will be given guided reading note sheets for all PowerPoint presentations to help them understand and be able to read the notes from the lesson.
ELL Accommodations on the PBL:
Break assignments into segments of shorter tasks
Use concrete examples of concepts before teaching the lesson
Relate information to the student's prior knowledge and interests
Reduce the number of concepts presented at one time
Provide an overview of the lesson before beginning
Monitor the student's comprehension of language used during instruction
Schedule frequent, short conferences with each collaborative group to check for comprehension
Provide consistent review of the previous lesson before introducing new information
Allow the groups to obtain and report information utilizing: cassette recorders, dictation, computers, and interviews.
Highlight important concepts to be learned in text material
Monitor the rate at which material is presented
Give additional presentations by varying the methods using repetition, simpler explanations, more examples, and modeling
Require verbal responses to indicate comprehension
Provide clear, concise directions
Assign tasks at an appropriate reading level
The students' background knowledge using computers and research skills is a concern. The lessons are designed to teach the students the necessary research skills to help them complete the PBL project. Students will also need a short introduction to the computers and technology available to them. The majority of the ELL students do not have access to technology or the internet at home. The majority of the project will have to be completed at school in the computer labs or in the media center. Most of the students know how to use the computers, but might need some light training on the programs we will use.
Different Learning Styles in the Classroom:
The majority of the ELL students in this class are visual and kinesthetic learners. Many of the students have a difficulty understanding spoken English so it would be difficult for them to understand hearing the directions without them being repeated frequently. The students' visual learning needs will be bet through the rubrics, PowerPoints, and note sheets that will be distributed to the students so they can see what it is expected of them and how they can master the material. Students will then be able to work together and research in groups to develop an answer to their PBL problem. The kinesthetic learning needs to will be met during the research process. Students will research to create their responses to the PBL problem. Once they have developed their response they will use hands on technology to create a way to present their findings and their response to the PBL problem. The multimedia tools will help them to design a method to present their solution and findings to their PBL problem.
Different Intelligences in the Classroom:
The intelligences that are present in the ELL classroom are spatial, bodily, logical, and interpersonal intelligences. This PBL unit was designed for students in the classroom that possess each of these intelligences according to Gardner. The PBL unit was specifically designed to meet the learning needs of these learning intelligences. Each lesson in the PBL incorporates activities that requires the students to use their spatial, bodily, logical, and interpersonal intelligences. The presentation of the PBL solution to the problem will cover all of these intelligences through the creation of presentation using multimedia technology.